Hurricane Irma strengthens to Category 4 storm as it heads closer to Florida

HURRICANE IRMA: IMAGES OF DESTRUCTION
Drone video reveals some of the hardest hit areas in the Florida Keys | 1:50

Drone video from Cudjoe Key, Upper Sugarloaf Key, Summerland Key and Sunshine Key show how some of the hardest his parts of the Florida Keys are fairing days after hurricane Irma made landfall.
Rodney White, Michael Zamora/The Register

Aerial views filmed by British broadcaster Sky news on Monday revealed the extent of damage on the eastern Caribbean Island of Barbuda, after Hurricane Irma swept through it, leaving a trail of destruction. (Sept. 12)
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Hurricane Irma veered slightly right, giving Tampa area officials less to worry about in terms of storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico, but causing slightly more storm damage inland in places like Polk County. (Sept. 11)
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Although Miami was spared a big brunt of Hurricane Irma, mobile home residents here are not breathing a sigh of relief as they return to their now damaged or completely destroyed homes. Colette Luke has more.
Video provided by Reuters
Newslook

The full breadth of the damage from Hurricane Irma remains unclear, particularly in the hard-hit Keys, where communications and travel were still difficult. An aerial tour of Key Largo showed toppled buildings and damaged boats. (Sept. 11)
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A monster Hurricane Irma roared into Florida Sunday with 130 mph winds, flooding streets and knocking out power to more than 1.5 million homes. In Palm Bay, a tornado triggered by Irma's approach destroyed a number of mobile homes. (Sept. 10)
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A crane atop a high-rise under construction in downtown Miami collapsed Sunday amid strong winds from Hurricane Irma. The crane collapsed in a bayfront area filled with hotels and high-rise condo and office buildings. (Sept. 10)
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As Hurricane Irma prepares to hit Florida, those on the Caribbean island of Anguilla are assessing the devastating effect the storm had on their island. Vanessa Croft Thompson, a teacher in Anguilla, says the storm brought mass destruction to the island. (Sept. 9)
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The governor of the British Virgin Islands on Friday said he declared a state of emergency after Hurricane Irma left a string of Caribbean islands devastated. In a radio address, Gov. Gus Jaspert said he was "heartbroken" by the destruction. (Sept. 8)
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This photo provided by Caribbean Buzz shows the destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Irma Friday, Sept. 8, 2017, in the U.S. Virgin Islands The death toll from Hurricane Irma has risen to 22 as the storm continues its destructive path through the Caribbean. The dead include 11 on St. Martin and St. Barts, four in the U.S. Virgin Islands and four in the British Virgin Islands. There was also one each in Barbuda, Anguilla, and Barbados. The toll is expected to rise as rescuers reach some of the hardest-hit areas. (Caribbean Buzz via AP)
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Girls walk on the waterfront littered with debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Nagua, Dominican Republic, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees. Irma is flooding parts of the Dominican Republic as it roars by just off the northern coast of the island it shares with Haiti. (AP Photo/Tatiana Fernandez)
Tatiana Fernandez, AP

A home flattened by Hurricane Irma lies in a pile in Nagua, Dominican Republic, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees. Irma flooded parts of the Dominican Republic when it roared by Thursday, just off the northern coast of the island it shares with Haiti. (AP Photo/Tatiana Fernandez)
Tatiana Fernandez, AP

A palm tree lays on a car after the passage of Hurricane Irma, near the shore in Marigot, on the island of St. Martin, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. The island is divided between French St. Martin and Dutch Sint Maarten. (AP Photo/Amandine Ascensio
Amandine Ascensio, AP

Electrical company employees work to clear a road blocked by trees felled by Hurricane Irma, in Sanchez, Dominican Republic, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees. Irma flooded parts of the Dominican Republic when it roared by, just off the northern coast of the island it shares with Haiti. (AP Photo/Tatiana Fernandez)
Tatiana Fernandez, AP

Residents come out to survey the damage caused by Hurricane Irma in Nagua, Dominican Republic, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees. Irma flooded parts of the Dominican Republic when it roared by Thursday, just off the northern coast of the island it shares with Haiti. (AP Photo/Tatiana Fernandez)
Tatiana Fernandez, AP

Handlers from the Cayo Guillermo dolphinarium prepare dolphins for their transfer to the dolphinarium in Cienfuegos, located on Cuba's southern coast, just hours before the arrival of Hurricane Irma, Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. Irma spun along the northern coast of Cuba, where thousands of tourists were evacuated from low-lying keys off the coast dotted with all-inclusive resorts. (Osvaldo Gutierrez Gomez/ACN via AP)
Osvaldo Gutierrez Gomez, AP

This photo provided by Caribbean Buzz shows boats clustered together after Hurricane Irma Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. The death toll from Hurricane Irma has risen to 22 as the storm continues its destructive path through the Caribbean.
The dead include 11 on St. Martin and St. Barts, four in the U.S. Virgin Islands and four in the British Virgin Islands. There was also one each in Barbuda, Anguilla, and Barbados. The toll is expected to rise as rescuers reach some of the hardest-hit areas. (Caribbean Buzz via AP)
AP

This Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017 photo shows storm damage to a high school in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on the British island of Anguilla. Irma weakened to Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds on Saturday, but will likely regain strength before slamming Florida. (Vanessa C Thompson via AP)
Vanessa C Thompson, AP

A sea wall is breeched by overflow as a bulk carrier leaves the bay of Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. There were no reports of deaths or injuries after heavy rain and winds from Hurricane Irma lashed northeastern Cuba. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Ramon Espinosa, AP

This image made from video shows several damaged houses by Hurricane Irma in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models. (AP Photo/Ian Brown)
Ian Brown, AP

On the forecast track, the center of Irma is expected to cross the lower Florida Keys during the next several hours, and then move near or along the west coast of Florida Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. The storm should then move inland over the Florida panhandle and southwestern Georgia Monday afternoon.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles. A private anemometer at Marathon Key, Florida, recently reported a wind gust of 88 mph.